Written By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe | Updated : August 9, 2025 8:05 PM IST
From the moment a girl is first fitted for a bra, most of us go on to wear one daily for breast support for a lifetime. Wear bra helps us get through the day easily but the bigger question is, how comfortable is it, really and does it really link to cause of cancer?
During the COVID-19 lockdown, many women took to social media to expressed on how restrictive bras felt, and how liberating it was to go without one. For some, it sparked a reassessment of whether bras are truly necessary for comfort or health.
There's been ongoing debate around wearing bras and their potential impact on health. From conspiracy theories to viral studies, one even claimed that women who go braless sag less than bra wearers. while, others have gone so far as to link bra usage to breast cancer.
So, does wearing a bra increases a risk of developing cancer? According to a study published by the National Institute Of Health (NIH) the answer is no.
The research study clearky states that "bra wearing is not associated with breast cancer risk."
The biomedical and health research center acknowledeged that many women are concern that "bra wearing may increase breast cancer risk," however due to scarcity of credible scientific studies, no evidence supported that theory.
However, based on a study publshied by the NIH, it confirm their's no connection between bra and breast cancer.
Researchers examined over 1,500 women between the ages of 55 and 74 in the Seattle, US. They collected detailed information through in-person interviews to study participants on mutliple factors including their information on bra-wearing habits, and breast cancer risk factors.
After annalysing the data through polytomous logistic regression, NIH concludes, "No aspect of bra wearing, including bra cup size, recency, average number of hours/day worn, wearing a bra with an underwire, or age first began regularly wearing a bra, was associated with risks of either IDC or ILC."
